Some thoughts on "that Cologne guy"

First of all admittedly I'm quite a heavy sprayer and save for A*Men and Le Male I use about 6 sprays (sometimes more) per fragrance. I've never once (and I've checked) offended anyone with my scent. My best friend has an absolutely fabulous wardrobe of wonderful frags which goes wasted. He will spray two sprays, one to each pulse point and I've never detected anything on him...nadda, zip!

That "Cologne guy" some are worried about becoming is often spraying 10-15 sprays of his go to scent. I knew a teen that used to wear 20 sprays of Le Male!! That guy you think is overapplying isn't applying 6-8 sprays...he's doing far more! My advice is don't waste a good frag collection...let people smell you! I think alot of current designer 2-3 sprays is under-applying.

Re: Some thoughts on "that Cologne guy"

Depends on where and when. In an office setting, two or three sprays of some fragrances will make you "that cologne guy." Bois du Portugal can do that. On the other hand, running around town on the weekend - sure, have another spray or three. Just use common sense - don't load up before you go to movies, restaurants, church, in-laws' house, etc., and you'll be fine.

Re: Some thoughts on "that Cologne guy"

yea, I'm always a little self-conscious about my cologne usage.

my standard is 2-3 sprays. I don't spray my wrists anymore because I wash my hands. So its usually 1 to chest. 2 to neck. either front and back, or two sides. stronger stuff like DHI or Aventus I limit to 2 small sprays.

I really only want to be smelled faintly when I'm less than 2 feet from someone, and even then, I don't want it to just hit them in the face. that and I want there to be enough for me to get whiffs of it throughout the day.

problem is my whiffs doesn't indicate how well other people smell me, so I never know how much I project to other people on different colognes.

Re: Some thoughts on "that Cologne guy"

Anyone can be that "cologne guy" even if it is for a day. The classic mistake most of us make especially when purchasing a new frag and trying to gage how many sprays you need is over application. Sometimes your nose gets overwhelmed and you cannot smell the frag after a few sprays where everyone else can, and the mistake is to keep on spraying.

Re: Some thoughts on "that Cologne guy"

If I spray "more than enough" on, It overpowers my sense of smell, I wear frags for me, not others, I have some that I put just one spritz low on the chest, and it is plenty, anymore makes me want to wash it off. I have some light ones that 3 spritzes is needed. What irritates me the most is applying something, sniffing it for an hour or two, then nothing. Whether the dreaded "nasal fatigue" or just poor longevity doesn't matter. If I spend $250 I want to smell it for awhile. Dumping it on won't make it last longer, it just irritates people.

Re: Some thoughts on "that Cologne guy"

I, on the other hand, prefer anyone outside of 4 feet to not get whiffs of my scent. anyone under 4 feet may get faint whiffs, and they can only get a full experience when they are under 1 ft radius.

IMO, forcing everyone in the room to smell you is inconsiderate and almost try-hard... but thats probably just me. I just did a search on the forum and there are people suggesting up to 20 sprays??? to each his own I guess...

Re: Some thoughts on "that Cologne guy"

I agree with Jack regarding new fragrances. Therefore it's wise to go easy at first, until you get a feel for it.

The "cologne guy" also changes according to others' perceptions. Some people seem to have it in for anyone wearing fragrance, and they'll become overwhelmed by someone who's even wearing a light to moderate amount. Others have a much higher tolerance and might not mind someone who applied 6 to 8 sprays.

I hate feeling self-conscious about what I wear, and never want to invade others' personal space, so I'm generally a 2 to 3 spray guy. I can smell it, those near me can probably smell it, and a passerby may catch an occasional whiff. That's all I need.

Btw, there's an article about this on the basenotes homepage. It doesn't really address anything new or that hasn't been talked about around here, but it addresses this issue more or less.

Re: Some thoughts on "that Cologne guy"

When I smell cologne on someone thats faint, I think "oh thats a nice scent", and it creates an intrigue for me to get closer to get a better smell. To me, thats the perfect effect I want to have on people... But when I get smacked in the face with it by being in the same room as someone, I think that person is try hard and inconsiderate. I mean, its as obnoxious as listening to music on your phone's speaker and forcing everyone else to listen to it.

Re: Some thoughts on "that Cologne guy"

Some of the same BN'ers who advocate drenching themselves in fragrance and forcing everyone around them to experience it are the same ones who will whine and cry if someone with a cigarette is withing half-a-mile. Especially indoors and in the winter, fragrance needs to be subdued.

Re: Some thoughts on "that Cologne guy"

I, on the other hand, prefer anyone outside of 4 feet to not get whiffs of my scent. anyone under 4 feet may get faint whiffs, and they can only get a full experience when they are under 1 ft radius.

IMO, forcing everyone in the room to smell you is inconsiderate and almost try-hard... but thats probably just me. I just did a search on the forum and there are people suggesting up to 20 sprays??? to each his own I guess...

+1 This is exactly how I feel, mtheory8. Only the chosen get to smell me.

I wouldn't care so much about "that Cologne guy" ... except that there are so many fragrances I'm actively allergic to. Axe and Polo, to name just two I know for sure, have given me full-bore, stop-breathing asthma attacks. Even more scents cause allergic reactions in my eyes (which in extreme cases has made the whites of my eyes puff right out of the eyelid -- very horrorshow!) If I'm just out and about somewhere, I can leave the area (which I once had to do at a theatre performance -- annoying!) -- but say I was working, or in a class, next to That Dude, I'd have no choice but to become The Irritating Anti-Fragrance Chick Who Goes to Administration/HR.

I don't want everyone to stop wearing fragrance -- far from it -- but I do definitely think that being careful about one's impact is the only considerate -- and in some cases, safe -- thing to do.

Re: Some thoughts on "that Cologne guy"

Originally Posted by Danielstripedtiger

Some of the same BN'ers who advocate drenching themselves in fragrance and forcing everyone around them to experience it are the same ones who will whine and cry if someone with a cigarette is withing half-a-mile. Especially indoors and in the winter, fragrance needs to be subdued.

I'm a smoker but I don't know anyone including me who likes the smell of second hand cigarette smoke though.

Re: Some thoughts on "that Cologne guy"

Originally Posted by usedtowork

I'm a smoker but I don't know anyone including me who likes the smell of second hand cigarette smoke though.

Exactly! There's a vast difference between the two .
How much one wants to project and how many sprays is a personal choice that depends on many factors.
2-3 sprays to me is a waste of juice (with very few exceptions of course). Other than using discretion for particular scents and ocassions (rare for me), my normal is about 8-10 sprays, sometimes more. I do however spray my arms and chest which are often covered by layers of clothing and that controls projection to a pleasant degree. I also spray my neck and wrists.
I've often asked people around me if they could smell me and always, the answer is no. These are people who are not shy with me.
I enjoy scents and like to smell my fragrance throughout the day.

Re: Some thoughts on "that Cologne guy"

Indeed, it's a highly personal, variable and highly unpredictable choice. As long as it is not used in a fragrance-free environment, around people with allergies, on occasion with a preliminarily established absolutely fragrance-free dress (or rather, fragrance-) -code, it should be fine, almost irrespective of the fragrance quantity used/applied.

Re: Some thoughts on "that Cologne guy"

Last week I wore lidge to work put on 2 sprays and didnt smell anything after a few minutes then put on 2 more. When I got to work I chocked out a coworker and he startes to sneeze. These where all under the shit mind you. Yesterday I put on 3 sprays of egoiste and wish I had only put on 2 as it started to overwhelm me mid day. Today I put on 2 sprays of kouros and wish I put on 3 lol. You dont always know how loud you will project untill you get there.

Re: Some thoughts on &amp;quot;that Cologne guy&amp;quot;

I, on the other hand, prefer anyone outside of 4 feet to not get whiffs of my scent. anyone under 4 feet may get faint whiffs, and they can only get a full experience when they are under 1 ft radius.

IMO, forcing everyone in the room to smell you is inconsiderate and almost try-hard... but thats probably just me. I just did a search on the forum and there are people suggesting up to 20 sprays??? to each his own I guess...

sensible

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Originally Posted by mtheory8

When I smell cologne on someone thats faint, I think "oh thats a nice scent", and it creates an intrigue for me to get closer to get a better smell. To me, thats the perfect effect I want to have on people... But when I get smacked in the face with it by being in the same room as someone, I think that person is try hard and inconsiderate. I mean, its as obnoxious as listening to music on your phone's speaker and forcing everyone else to listen to it.

again sensible

- - - Updated - - -

This idea some users have of "getting their moneys worth" from their fragrance by applying enough to have everyone on earth smell it is ridiculous.
IMHO

Re: Some thoughts on "that Cologne guy"

I have adapted my habits to pretty much three sprays 90% of the time, and only two in some situations. I'd rather err on the side of under application rather than over. I almost never smell cologne on the other guys around me. I do smell the Polo Black that my choir director wears at church, but it's not offensive.

Re: Some thoughts on "that Cologne guy"

I think any discussion about absolute number of sprays is essentially meaningless because fragrances vary in concentration and potency. Furthermore, not all sprayers are putting out the same volume!

My strongest fragrance is Alfred Sung Homme and the atomizer puts out quite a lot of volume. 1 spray under my shirt is enough for other people to notice and almost too strong to wear to work, while 2 sprays (neck and chest) is definitely reserved for parties or days at home.

On the other hand, I find Burberry London to be very polite and I've sprayed as many as 20 times before a night out or even going to class. It is strong for the first half-hour or so, but people have confirmed that it quickly becomes imperceptible at conversational distance. To me, this makes it a safer fragrance for work or other situations where I don't want people to notice my scent without getting closer to me. 10 sprays (under clothing) is probably about right, but it should be noted that each of those sprays is relatively small compared to the volume of Sung Homme's atomizer.

In short, my application varies by fragrance and situation. If I'm working from home and not worried about social perception, I'll usually put on a little extra, just for good measure

Re: Some thoughts on "that Cologne guy"

The way I test out the number of sprays is that I'll spray on my wrist and let it settle for 20 minutes or so, and if I can smell it 3 or 4 inches from my nose it's strong enough. This is going to give a good indication of how strong it's going to be within the next few hours when you'll be out in public or doing whatever your doing. Once you start spraying more all you doing is increasing sillage. The projection of a fragrance doesn't really benefit that much from over spraying. Personally I think it's more important where you spray and not the amount of sprays that's key. The question is what kind of audience do you want to smell your fragrance. I prefer a space of projection of about 3 feet (moderately strong fragrance) and a slight amount of sillage. The cologne guy is more like 8 feet (with a very strong fragrance) and everyone can smell him 5 minutes after he's past them. The cologne guy is probably also the office farter.

Re: Some thoughts on "that Cologne guy"

The cologne guy in my experience is mainly a myth. I can only remember 2 or 3 times in my life that someones fragrance has been offensively strong.

Well then I get a bigfoot sighting just about every day at the gym. A man I can guess somewhere in his 40s wears enough scent to be smelled around the corner from the elliptical he is on.

To some extent "The Cologne Guy" is subjective, but, with just about anything concerning fashion, there are clearly cases egregious enough that anyone would notice. 300 lb 57 yr old man walking down the street in yellow skinny jeans? Yeah people will notice.

Similarly, this guy takes a really strong scent(dark, musky, maybe medicinal... I wonder if it's YSL M7 from what people describe), applies a ton of it, and goes into a situation where he will sweat and project this onto other people, many already gasping for air.... the pinnacle of poor taste.

Re: Some thoughts on "that Cologne guy"

Yeah, it depends is the easy answer. The GIT atomizer sprays so much, that when I first got it I would spray my usual 3 sprays and go to work, but it didn't take long to notice that every person who would walk in a room that I had been in for more than 5 minutes would say something like "whew, someone is wearing some cologne". I would assume it smelt good to them, but who knows. I never asked them saying "oh it's me, what do you think of it".

I don't know if that's cologne guy or not, but smelling up an entire room is not what I'm going for when I put cologne on in the morning. I wear it because I want to enjoy it throughout the day, but I'm finding with a lot of my fragrances even three sprays is too much in many work situations.

Re: Some thoughts on "that Cologne guy"

I thought I was avoiding it by spraying under my clothes, but someone at the other end of the room commented that they smelt insence (3 sprays of Sequoia under my undershirt and shirt 4 hours beforehand, but because I'd been rushing my body heat must've given it new life). They didn't seem upset, just puzzled.

Re: Some thoughts on "that Cologne guy"

Originally Posted by Darjeeling

I thought I was avoiding it by spraying under my clothes, but someone at the other end of the room commented that they smelt insence (3 sprays of Sequoia under my undershirt and shirt 4 hours beforehand, but because I'd been rushing my body heat must've given it new life). They didn't seem upset, just puzzled.

hah. That's happened to me once at work with Kilian's Rose Oud. I just sprayed it twice: once on each arm. A few hours later someone said it smelt like "incense" and kept commenting on the smell until I finally fessed up that it was me. He seemed puzzled as to why I would wear such a scent. Oh well.

Re: Some thoughts on "that Cologne guy"

This discussion is a bit too regional and narrow. The world is large and culturally diverse. Application volume and personal tastes, within bounds of moderation (again, varied) should be up to one's personal preferences.

Re: Some thoughts on "that Cologne guy"

What you say accords with what I've been saying here for a dozen years. If one only wears a few sprays - what's the point? Other guys wearing Old Spice, Brut, Axe/Lynx deodorants will all be putting out more scent than the 2 or 3 spray guy for a few hours, as will guys wearing mass market aftershave balms like Gillette and Mennen.

So what's the point of putting out less scent than guys wearing mass market stuff - to send out the strong message of "I'm not here" or "Please don't notice me?"
Regards,
Renato

Re: Some thoughts on "that Cologne guy"

Originally Posted by Renato

What you say accords with what I've been saying here for a dozen years. If one only wears a few sprays - what's the point? Other guys wearing Old Spice, Brut, Axe/Lynx deodorants will all be putting out more scent than the 2 or 3 spray guy for a few hours, as will guys wearing mass market aftershave balms like Gillette and Mennen.

So what's the point of putting out less scent than guys wearing mass market stuff - to send out the strong message of "I'm not here" or "Please don't notice me?"
Regards,
Renato

What's the point of wearing a nice suit instead of an Ed Hardy t-shirt and drop-crotch pants when there are all these other guys doing that and their Ed Hardy t-shirts are so gaudy and attention-getting? I'm gonna wear a NEON ORANGE suit!

Re: Some thoughts on "that Cologne guy"

So what's the point of putting out less scent than guys wearing mass market stuff - to send out the strong message of "I'm not here" or "Please don't notice me?"
Regards,
Renato

Because, to me, at least, the point of a nice smelling fragrance is at its most flirtatious, an invitation. When you spray enough to compete with "the mass market guys" you are advertising. Advertising is trashy.

Re: Some thoughts on "that Cologne guy"

Surely still better than being the no cologne guy.

I don't usually apply that much as I mainly wear it for myself and only really care about the opinion of the girlfriend who is allowed sufficiently close. I don't mind being that cologne guy that much though. One time, on a day off, I had applied a hefty amount of Yatagan, then visited a friend in her office. Did get some looks. Hadn't shaved either, so the smell did fit the look lol.

Re: Some thoughts on &quot;that Cologne guy&quot;

Originally Posted by hedonist222

The conservative ones above should preface their post with a 'Im in the States or Canada or western Europe'.

BN is global not American.

Yes, but that only illustrates the fact that culture has a role to play. When I travel to the Middle East, I adjust my wardrobe accordingly (more conservative; no short skirts, no tank tops) to fit in and show respect. We can acknowledge that cultural norms are different from place to place without being insulting about it.

Not that you're insulting anyone, hedonist--but I have seen many threads on this same topic where people use "conservative" as a pejorative and slag off Americans (and sometimes Western Europeans) for being "uptight" because we don't wear as much fragrance as you do. Rudeness, politeness, too much, too little - these all exist within different contexts.

Re: Some thoughts on "that Cologne guy"

Threads like this always crack me up. People who indulge in something are rarely if ever the best when it comes to determining if they're overindulging.

Hang out with beer drinkers and you'll quickly realize how many of the most passionate about their beer have no ability to judge how much is too much.

In college, I had a professor who drank a minimum of 20 cups of coffee a day. I literally wouldn't recognize the guy without a white cup in his hand (always the same cup). I'm a 2 to 3 cup a day guy, but my vice used to be sugar. I couldn't imagine a cup of coffee without at least 2 heaping teaspoons of sugar. Eventually, I added up how much sugar that was each day and I cut it WAY back. In order to help myself cut back, I bought myself a tiny spoon for sugar. I found it easier to cut back slowly over time if I also started using a much smaller spoon. Today, I still drink coffee with sugar, but I use less than 1/4 of a teaspoon per cup. And coffee actually tastes better.

Perfume is no different. Just as the beer drinker and the coffee drinker each have built up a tolerance to alcohol, caffein or sugar, heavy perfume sprayers have built up a tolerance to excessive smells, to the point where they think 5 sprays of perfume is barely noticeable.

It can be a challenge to rely on others to let you know if you overindulge. Friends are used to you always having a strong smell, so if you ask something like "Am I wearing too much?" they're likely to say no and think "It's no more than usual." And since people who like you don't want to hurt your feelings, they're not likely to be honest if you wear too much. I know a woman who wears really ugly clothes. Behind her back, her friends mention it a lot, but they never tell her. Why? They know her sense of style is important to her and they know she'd be upset if she knew what they really thought. Friends of "Cologne Guy" know cologne is important to him, so they're not likely to let him know he wears too much because they don't want to hurt his feelings.

Re: Some thoughts on "that Cologne guy"

Originally Posted by sroreilly

Because, to me, at least, the point of a nice smelling fragrance is at its most flirtatious, an invitation. When you spray enough to compete with "the mass market guys" you are advertising. Advertising is trashy.

One may feel fine feeling superior by not "advertising" as you put it, or dressing and smelling one's best as I would put it, but it's darn annoying going home alone when someone else gets that gal (especially if he's wearing loud Axe/Lynx).
Cheers,
Renato

Re: Some thoughts on "that Cologne guy"

I work in sales, and I have people in some offices that want me to give them decants for husbands, partners etc.
Some guys collect baseball cards. Personally, I enjoy smelling good.

While 20 sprays of certain things work for me, I tend to go a bit lighter with Aventus (less is more). Only once have I heard a complaint. That was the day I layered Azzaro Chrome Legend with Bang. Not sure what I was thinking.

Re: Some thoughts on "that Cologne guy"

Originally Posted by sroreilly

Because, to me, at least, the point of a nice smelling fragrance is at its most flirtatious, an invitation. When you spray enough to compete with "the mass market guys" you are advertising. Advertising is trashy.

Well said. Your feelings about what wearing fragrance is about seems to be in accord with my own. Your words "flirtatious" and "invitation" are so well chosen. When some object you care to intrigue or seduce gets close enough to you to get a good whiff here and there of what you're wearing that for me is what fragrance is about. Not blasting every life form in the room to see if you can stampede the herd...... But as always to each his own. Obnoxious over application of perfume really doesn't bother me as much as the attitude of some (not all) of the perfume users who do so, that being that they spent their hard earned money on the stuff and they don't really give a damn who's bothered by it.

Re: Some thoughts on "that Cologne guy"

Originally Posted by Renato

One may feel fine feeling superior by not "advertising" as you put it, or dressing and smelling one's best as I would put it, but it's darn annoying going home alone when someone else gets that gal (especially if he's wearing loud Axe/Lynx).
Cheers,
Renato

On the contrary, I also find that most scent do not "smell their best" when projecting at large volumes. I find that perfumes smell best when you can feel ever so slightly the body heat of the person the scent is emanating from. Many perfectly nice smelling scents get cold and screechy if you can smell them six feet away.

Also... you don't truly believe people are getting laid from the Axe they are wearing, right? I mean, even nice colognes. If something has ever gone well with a person of interest, maybe having the option of saying "you smell so good" is an opportunity to send a conversation more in the direction of getting laid, but I can guarantee you that as long as you didn't smell like an outhouse, said person would find some other way of breaking the ice.

P.S. Furthermore on the topic of getting laid in relation to being the cologne guy, I have found in my experience that women are far more critical of and sensitive to "the cologne guy" . So even here I would say it is a case of less is more. Cologne's best asset to the male wearing it, in the situation of attracting a mate or what have you, is to give him a sense of confidence, yet paradoxically there is a point where the more cologne he wears the more desperate and self-conscious he appears to others... at least in the states.

Re: Some thoughts on "that Cologne guy"

Cologne guy get mocked a lot in popular culture.

Of course there's Sex Panther cologne in Anchorman.

More recently, I was watching the Mentalist and the Simon Baker character was interviewing a doctor. He said something to effect of "how desperate are you? Divorced long?". Doctor replied, "why do you say that?". Simon Baker "because you wear too much cologne...obviously you're trying too hard to attract a mate".

People equate cologne guy to the Jersey Shore guys who spray 12 sprays before going to the clubs!

Re: Some thoughts on "that Cologne guy"

Threads like this always crack me up. People who indulge in something are rarely if ever the best when it comes to determining if they're overindulging.

Hang out with beer drinkers and you'll quickly realize how many of the most passionate about their beer have no ability to judge how much is too much.

In college, I had a professor who drank a minimum of 20 cups of coffee a day. I literally wouldn't recognize the guy without a white cup in his hand (always the same cup). I'm a 2 to 3 cup a day guy, but my vice used to be sugar. I couldn't imagine a cup of coffee without at least 2 heaping teaspoons of sugar. Eventually, I added up how much sugar that was each day and I cut it WAY back. In order to help myself cut back, I bought myself a tiny spoon for sugar. I found it easier to cut back slowly over time if I also started using a much smaller spoon. Today, I still drink coffee with sugar, but I use less than 1/4 of a teaspoon per cup. And coffee actually tastes better.

Perfume is no different. Just as the beer drinker and the coffee drinker each have built up a tolerance to alcohol, caffein or sugar, heavy perfume sprayers have built up a tolerance to excessive smells, to the point where they think 5 sprays of perfume is barely noticeable.

It can be a challenge to rely on others to let you know if you overindulge. Friends are used to you always having a strong smell, so if you ask something like "Am I wearing too much?" they're likely to say no and think "It's no more than usual." And since people who like you don't want to hurt your feelings, they're not likely to be honest if you wear too much. I know a woman who wears really ugly clothes. Behind her back, her friends mention it a lot, but they never tell her. Why? They know her sense of style is important to her and they know she'd be upset if she knew what they really thought. Friends of "Cologne Guy" know cologne is important to him, so they're not likely to let him know he wears too much because they don't want to hurt his feelings.

Excellent.

We should always apply "don't do unto others what you don't want others to do unto you".

It WAS tempting to me to think "so what, my . . . is so much better than what other guys are wearing" and over-apply yet I got much better. If you have to err, err on the side of discretion.